Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

An abrasive or cleaning pad includes a composite resin as a wear layer. A
cleaning pad system for motorized floor cleaning or polishing
applications includes a pad having a combination of two grades of
melamine resin-based foam. A method of cleaning a floor surface is also
provided.

Claims:

1. An abrasive pad for cleaning microstructured tile surfaces composed of
mineral substances, the abrasive pad comprising: a backing disc; and a
wear layer formed of a melamine composite resin including different resin
parts bonded with a water-insoluble adhesive.

2. The abrasive pad according to claim 1, wherein said resin parts are
melamine resins having white and gray colors.

3. The abrasive pad according to claim 1, wherein said water-insoluble
adhesive is a hot melt adhesive.

4. The abrasive pad according to claim 1, wherein said resin parts have
individual sizes selected from the group consisting of between 0.5 to 3
cm3 and 1 cm3.

5. The abrasive pad according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive pad has a
diameter selected from the group consisting of between 10 cm and 70 cm
and between 15 cm and 53 cm.

6. The abrasive pad according to claim 1, wherein said composite resin
has a thickness selected from the group consisting of between 1 cm and 5
cm and between 2 cm and 4 cm.

7. The abrasive pad according to claim 1, wherein said melamine resin is
laminated on one side by a nonwoven configured to transmit a force of a
drive plate of a cleaning appliance.

8. The abrasive pad according to claim 1, wherein said backing disc has a
central recess formed therein configured with a size selected from the
group consisting of between 2 cm and 10 cm and between 6 cm and 8 cm to
ensure a supply of water from a cleaning machine to a floor.

9. The abrasive pad according to claim 8, wherein: said melamine resin of
said wear layer is laminated on one side by a nonwoven configured to
transmit a force of a drive plate of a cleaning appliance; and said
central recess in said backing disc is extended into another central
recess in said wear layer having a size selected from the group
consisting of between 10 cm and 15 cm and between 11 cm and 13 cm and
exposing said nonwoven.

10. A cleaning pad to be used in combination with a motorized floor
cleaning machine, the cleaning pad comprising: a scrubbing surface made
exclusively of melamine composite foam; a backing disc having
substantially the same diameter as said scrubbing surface; and a
seven-layer water-insoluble glue fixing said backing disc to said
melamine composite foam.

11. The cleaning pad according to claim 10, wherein said glue is an
adhesive.

12. The cleaning pad according to claim 10, wherein said backing disc is
formed of a polyurethane foam or polyester woven material.

13. The cleaning pad according to claim 10, wherein said backing disc is
approximately 1/4 inch thick.

14. A cleaning pad for use with a floor scrubbing machine, the cleaning
pad comprising: a backing disc configured to be connected to a driving
member of the floor scrubbing machine; and a melamine composite foam pad
adhered to said backing disc.

15. The cleaning pad according to claim 14, wherein said melamine
composite foam pad is substantially round and is about 1 inch in
thickness.

16. The cleaning pad according to claim 14, wherein said melamine
composite foam pad has a diameter in a range of about 4 inches to about
21 inches.

17. The cleaning pad according to claim 14, wherein said melamine
composite foam pad has a profiled structure.

18. The cleaning pad according to claim 14, wherein said melamine
composite foam pad is constructed from two grades of melamine resin in a
patchwork-type fabric.

19. The cleaning pad according to claim 18, wherein said melamine
composite foam pad is formed of recycled materials for increasing
durability and tear resistance, decreasing water intake and increasing
sustainability with respect to the environment, as compared to other
melamine pads.

20. A floor cleaning system, comprising: a rotating member of a floor
machine; and a scrubbing portion being substantially exclusively a
melamine composite foam disc configured to be rotationally driven by said
rotating member.

21. The floor cleaning system according to claim 20, wherein said
rotating member is a pad driver.

22. A method of cleaning a floor surface, the method comprising the
following steps: providing a cleaning system according to claim 20; and
cleaning the floor surface with the cleaning system and a cleaning fluid.

23. The method according to claim 22, which further comprises selecting
the floor surface from the group consisting of porcelain stoneware,
artificial stone, natural stone, terracotta, layered concrete and
structured tile.

24. The method according to claim 22, which further comprises applying a
low volatile cleaning detergent to the floor surface and scrubbing the
cleaning detergent into the floor surface.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein the cleaning fluid is
water.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of
German Utility Model Application DE 20 2011 104 832.6, filed Aug. 25,
2011; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its
entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates generally to systems and methods for cleaning
hard surface floors. More particularly, it relates to melamine composite
foam pads for use on motorized floor cleaning machines.

[0003] Abrasive pads for the machine cleaning of extensive areas, for use
in electrically (mains or battery) operated single-disc machines or
scrubber-drier appliances, are made from different materials, in keeping
with the nature of the floor and with the cleaning problem to be solved.
Thus, it is easily perceivable that the systems employed for carpets will
be different than those for mineral and highly-textured tile floors of
the kind encountered in large-scale kitchens.

[0004] In the case of tiled floor areas of fine stoneware, terracotta,
cast stone, etc., which are laid over millions of square meters in
supermarkets, shopping malls, offices, schools, hospitals and in
industry, it has become established, since about 3-4 years ago, to carry
out cleaning with so-called melamine pads, i.e., pads having a melamine
resin as their abrasive layer. In principle the melamine resin can only
be processed in the form in which it is supplied by the company BASF, as
the sole manufacturer. The resin is supplied in two versions, a white
version and gray-colored version. Apart from the coloring, both variants
are virtually identical, do not differ in structure and hardness and
therefore exhibit identical behavior when used as abrasive pads.

[0005] Melamine-formaldehyde resin foams, also referred to herein as
melamine foams, are well known for use in industrial applications. Those
foams have proven effective in heat and sound insulation, fire protection
purposes, as well as for automotive and aviation insulation.

[0006] Conventional motorized floor cleaning or polishing machines have
typically included abrasive floor cleaning pads that are unable to
conform to floor surface irregularities. Due to that inability, they
cannot adequately clean hard surface floors, especially those with micro
porous systems (depressions and/or scratches), which is necessary to
achieve an anti-slip category in public and private areas.

[0007] It has been found that melamine foams in the form of pads can be
connected to floor scrubbing machines to clean hard surfaces as well as
to remove soil and stains from hard surfaces.

[0008] Melamine foam as such is very soft in its macrostructure and
extremely hard in the micro region. The material is therefore ideally
suited to providing mechanical support to the cleaning operation, since
the hard micro regions enter even into those pores which are smaller than
the wavelength of light, and are therefore capable of breaking down the
electrostatic interactions between the pore surface and particles of dirt
that have become ingrained.

[0009] The problems encountered with the existing abrasive pads based on
melamine include the mechanism of action of the melamine-based abrasive
pads already set forth above. The disadvantageous features of all of the
pads on the market include the following:

[0010] The areal performance is greatly limited, since the melamine wear
layer abrades very quickly.

[0011] The abrasive pads based on the melamine foam exhibit a very low
tensile strength, and therefore simple unevennesses in the floor or
unskilled mounting of the pad on the drive plate cause fractures in the
melamine material.

[0012] The pads cannot be securely mounted on the existing drive plates,
and therefore practically cannot be used, particularly in the case of
relatively large scrubber drier machines equipped with drive plates of
the kind which lift and lower automatically.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an abrasive
or cleaning pad with a composite resin as a wear layer, a floor cleaning
system and a method of cleaning a floor surface, which overcome the
hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known pads, systems
and methods of this general type, which provide a significant improvement
over abrasive pads with pure melamine as an abrasive layer and which for
the first time make new segments possible that are important in the
cleaning of extensive areas.

[0014] Most recently, it has been found that combining the two grades of
melamine-formaldehyde resin foams in a patchwork fashion in a pad
increases durability, increases tear resistance and significantly
decreases water intake. All of the disadvantages of melamine described in
the previous paragraphs can be overcome with this new system.

[0015] With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in
accordance with the invention, a cleaning device which is configured for
use on a scrubbing machine and includes a melamine composite foam pad and
a backing disc connected by a seven-layer, water insoluble glue. The
backing disc is constructed to be connected to and retained by a pad
driver of the scrubbing machine.

[0016] In another preferred embodiment, the melamine composite foam pad
and the backing disc are substantially round and the melamine composite
foam pad is about 1 inch in thickness.

[0017] In an alternative embodiment, the cleaning device includes a
substantially round melamine composite foam pad and a substantially round
backing disc constructed and disposed to be connected to a pad driver of
the scrubbing machine.

[0018] In one aspect of the invention, a cleaning apparatus for scrubbing
floors comprises a scrubbing machine having a drive device for driving a
driving member. A pad driver is connected to the driving member, and a
melamine composite foam pad is connected to the pad driver.

[0019] In another aspect of the invention, the melamine foam composite pad
has a diameter in a range of from 4 to 21 inches.

[0020] In another aspect of the invention, the melamine foam composite pad
has superior qualities when compared with a regular melamine foam pad,
which has one continuous structure. The composite pad incorporates two
grades of melamine-formaldehyde resin foams together in a patchwork-like
form making the pad more tear resistant, less able to take in water, and
longer lasting. The composite pad is also made from recycled materials
making it more environmentally sustainable.

[0021] In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for cleaning a hard surfaced floor with a floor scrubbing machine
having a melamine scrubbing pad. A cleaning agent such as water or a low
volatile organic cleaning solution is scrubbed into the floor.

[0022] The invention for which protection is sought is based on
significant improvements to the abrasive pads which use melamine as their
wear layer and which are used for the cleaning of microstructured tiles
of extensive areas. The key to the invention lies in the fact that the
melamine resin is not used in a block, but instead small resin pieces are
compressed and bonded. In physical terms, the effect which applies here
is similar to that used in the case, for example, of a carrying cable of
a suspension bridge, namely the interweaving of relatively thin cores,
since then the carrying load is significantly higher and the breaking
strength is increased significantly. In the case of the bonded melamine
resin, a fracture is able to extend only to the next point of bonding.
Due to the higher level of material used and the greater stiffness of the
bonded resin, the wear experienced by the resin during the abrasive
operation is significantly lower, and the performances determined by
independent users go beyond ten times the areal performance. This also
reduces the burden on the environment since the pads of the invention do
not need to be discarded as quickly as the prior art pads.

[0023] As a further advantage, this stronger composite resin permits
milled-out sections in the wear layer, allowing the abrasive pads now to
be mounted on the commercial drive plates, and hence also allowing
service segments like those of large scrubber-drier machines, which are
unattainable by the abrasive pads based on a pure melamine wear layer.

[0024] In summary, the advantages of the invention for which protection is
sought, relative to the conventional abrasive pads with pure melamine as
their wear layer, can be listed as follows:

TABLE-US-00001
Conventional System of
system the invention
Areal performance per pad (set): 1000 m2 Up to 10,000 m2
Tensile strength: Low High
Capacity for mounting on drive plates: No Yes

[0025] Other features which are considered as characteristic for the
invention are set forth in the appended claims.

[0026] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as
embodied in an abrasive or cleaning pad with a composite resin as a wear
layer, a floor cleaning system and a method of cleaning a floor surface,
it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since
various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without
departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range
of equivalents of the claims.

[0027] The construction and method of operation of the invention, however,
together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best
understood from the following description of specific embodiments when
read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a cleaning pad according
to the invention;

[0030] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cleaning pad according to the
invention;

[0031] FIGS. 4 and 5 are photographs of a melamine foam composite pad
according to the invention; and

[0032] FIG. 6 is a photograph showing two grades of melamine foam
intertwined in a single cleaning pad according to the invention, which is
not provided with a central recess or bore hole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first,
particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a simplified and
diagrammatic illustration of a prior art cleaning pad 1 which includes a
backing disc 2 of polyurethane and a scrubbing surface or wear layer 3 of
a single component melamine foam/resin, both having a central bore or
recess 5 of the same diameter for receiving a fastening element 4. In the
operating state, the fastening element 4 fixes the cleaning pad to a
non-illustrated pad driver of a cleaning machine as indicated in FIG. 1.
By applying pressure, the radially protruding head of the fastening
element 4 is pressed into the central region of the scrubbing surface 3
so that the cleaning pad 1 is fixed to the pad driver and the head does
not protrude in the axial direction.

[0034] However, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 would not work well with
the new cleaning pads according to the invention due to the low
compressibility of the composite melamine resin. Therefore, the geometry
of the individual elements has been chosen as indicated in FIG. 2, in
which the central bore or recess 5 of the prior art having the same
diameter in both the backing disc 2 and the scrubbing surface or wear
layer 3 has been replaced by a central bore or recess 6 in the backing
disc 2 which is similar in diameter to the central bore or recess 5 as
well as a larger-diameter central bore or recess 7 in the scrubbing
surface 3 which accommodates the entire width of the fastening element 4.
It is noted that details of the fastening element 4, which might include
a screw thread or the like, have been omitted in the figure. Similarly,
channels or the like for supplying a fluid to the actual scrubbing region
can be provided in the cleaning pad 1 and/or in the fastening element 4
and/or between them, but have also been omitted for the sake of clarity.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cleaning pad 1 according to the
invention, which indicates a large outer area formed of a composite
resin, an inner area of a nonwoven and a central recess, according to the
legend shown in the figure.

[0036] FIGS. 4 and 5 are photographs showing a cleaning pad having the
melamine foam composite pad, scrubbing surface or wear layer according to
the invention. This cleaning pad is formed of a backing disc and the
scrubbing surface, wear layer or composite pad as shown in FIG. 2,
adhered together with glue. The backing disc is the site where the pad is
connected to the pad driver of the scrubbing machine. The composite pad
is composed of melamine-formaldehyde resin foams and is responsible for
the cleaning.

[0037] The backing disc of the melamine foam composite pad shown in the
photographs is approximately 1/8 inch thick, which is a sufficient
thickness to ensure connectivity with the pad driver of a motorized floor
cleaning machine and avoid additional waste. The melamine composite pad
is about 1 inch thick. This thickness allows a composite pad utilized
under a scrubbing machine to hold together and efficiently clean up to
10,000 square meters. A traditional melamine pad will wear out after
about 1,000 square meters. It is the combination of the two grades of
melamine foam that is the key to the durability of the composite pad.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a photograph showing the cleaning pad before the central
recess or bore hole has been provided, from which one can see that the
two grades of melamine foam are intertwined in a single cleaning pad.
This creates a pad that is dense, stronger and more consistently
incapable of absorbing water than a standard melamine pad. Since the pad
is formed of many small pieces held together by a seven-layer,
water-insoluble glue, the pad is also more tear resistant than any
homogenous melamine pad. The cleaning pad may be provided with or without
a central borehole or with a borehole plus an additional cutout.

Patent applications in class Using solid work treating agents

Patent applications in all subclasses Using solid work treating agents